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Joe Allen has heard all the nicknames before. From “the Welsh Xavi” to “the Welsh Pirlo” and even “the Welsh Jesus”, the Liverpool midfielder has been burdened, complimented and seen as a saviour. Yet the message from the man himself is a simple one. “I’m just an Average Joe,” Allen says, smiling.

In a quiet spot at L’Avenue, one of the pavement cafes on Avenue du Maréchal Joffre, Roy Hodgson could be seen pouring a glass of red with his assistant, Ray Lewington, and going over their first few days in a town where even the lingerie shop, La Rose Noire, has St George flags in the windows.

This was a 7-1 scoreline Brazil could enjoy. Two years after their World Cup capitulation against Germany, Brazil crushed Haiti to move top of Copa América Group B, thanks to a brilliant hat-trick from Philippe Coutinho – his first for the national team.